Roller feed



. Dec. 3, 1940. A, LANDIS ROLLER FEED Filed July '7, 1958 INVENTOR[0000s ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES ROLLER FEED ArthurLandis, Plainfield, N. 5., assignor to The Oelotex Corporation, Chicago,111.," a corporation of Delaware Application July '7, 1938, Serial No.218,035 6 Claims. (c1; 101- 23).

This invention relates generally to a roller feed mechanism of generalapplicability for feeding or embossing sheet material of taperingcrosssection and particularly to such a roller feed 5 mechanism which isdriven and which is particularly adapted for feeding relatively fiatblanks for building construction members which taper across their width,that is, which have a taper in the direction along the axis of the feedrollers. v

The provision of a roller feed for feeding fiat blanks of uniformthickness across the width thereof is of course quite simple sinceordinary cylindrical rollers can be used but to devise a 5 roller feedfor feeding blanks tapering across their widths has been found to bequite difficult since it is necessary that the peripheral speed of eachof the rollers of the feed must be maintained constant across the widthof the material 20 being fed since otherwise there will be a tendency toeither displace the material sideways between the feed rollers or to:cause the material being fedto be twisted angularly from its proper pathof motion through the feed rollers.

25 In the feed mechanism which is disclosed herein there is provided adriven roller feed in which the mechanical requirements for properfeeding of blanks therethrough is achieved through the utilization of apair of cylindrical rollers at least one of which is provided withuniversal joints in its shaft in order that the axis of the roller maybe inclined from the horizontal. It will readily be seen that by the useof cylindrical rollers one of which may be tipped 35 on its axis, thatas such'plain cylindrical rollers are rotated the peripheral speed atall points across the feed will be uniform.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide a driven rollerfeed which may be utilized for feeding blanks which taper across theirwidth and to provide in connection therewith the requisite mechanicalconstruction for the proper operation of such a roller feed mechanism.In connection with the invention hereof, 45 attention is directed to thefact that for proper feed of material through the roller feed mechanismsuch as is herein involved, it is necessary that the rollers be rotatedat uniform speed. For accomplishing the rotation of the feed roll- 50ers at uniform speed there has been adopted a gear connection betweenthe rollers, which gear connection provides for variation in distancebetween the axis of the rollers as they may be tipped to accommodatetapering material, which particular drive per se is not a portion of myinvention excepting insofar as utilization thereof comprises acombination when incorporated as a part of the roller feed mechanismhereof. Other and additional objects of invention and further advantagesof the constructions herein disclosed will become apparent uponconsideration of the drawing herewith when considered in connection withthe following specification. In the various figures of the drawingsimilar reference numerals will be used in referring to similar portionsthereof in the various figures.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a complete unit of the driven feedcomprising the invention;

Figure.2 is a diagrammatic view of the connecting gear mechanismutilized for driving the feed rollers at uniform speeds; and

Figure 3 is a detail taken on Figure 1, line 3-3 looking in thedirection of the arrows and illustrating the adjustable bearings shownin Figure 1.

In the drawing there is illustrated a pair of driven feed rollers whichare adapted to feed sheet material which tapers across the width thereofand in consequence require that the distance between the surface of thefeed rollers vary across the width thereof. In the drawing there aredisclosed a pair of feed rollers indicated by numerals l0 and II whichfeed rollers are mounted on suitable shafts l2 and I3. Suitable endframe structures l4 and I5 are provided in which are mounted bearings 16and I"! in which are mounted the respective ends of shaft l2 of upperroll l0. Preferably, bearings I5 and I! are mounted so as to beadjustable 3'5 vertically as clearly indicated in Figure 3 whereinbearing block I8 is mounted in a vertical slot [9 in which it may slideup and down in a vertical direction and in connection with which thereare provided adjusting screws 20 and 2|, threaded so that by suitableturning of the said screws 20 and 2| bearing block l8 may be secured inadjusted position.

Each of the threaded adjusting screws 20 and 2! is provided with a locknut 22 which serves to secure the adjusting screw firmly in positionafter adjustment has been made. The vertical adjustment for the upperroll I0 is provided in order that the roller feed mechanism may handlematerials of diiferent thicknesses by suitable adjustment of thevertical positioning of upper roll shaft l2 through suitable adjustmentof the end bearing blocks I8.

The lower roller shaft I3 is at each end of roll II provided with auniversal joint which. 5

as illustrated, is a conventional gimbal type universal, but for whichit is to be understood any suitable universal connection may besubstituted. As illustrated, each universal connection comprises yoke 25in which is pivoted two ends of cross shape member 26 with a second yoke21 mounted on the other two ends of the cross shape member 26 one ofwhich yokes 21 is attached to shaft 28 with the other attached to shaft29.

End shaft 28 which is through its universal connection with the lowerroll shaft I3, in fact a prolongation thereof is mounted in a suitablebearing 30 in end frame I4 and in connection therewith attention isdirected to the fact that this bearing 30 is a plain sleeve bearing orthe like and that end shaft 28 may move longitudinally therethrough. Endshaft '29 which at the other end of the lower roller comprises in effectaprolongation of lower roll shaft I3, connected thereto by the universalconnection as described, is suitably mounted in bearing 31 in end frame15, in connection with which there are provided end thrust take-ups 32and 33 which prevent shaft 29 from movement laterally in bearing 3|.

The construction just described in connection with the mounting .of endshafts 28 and 29 of lower roll Ii maintains the said lower roll inproper alignment with respect to upper roll .Hl as the axis of the lowerroll may be tilted. Due to the allowable lateral movement provided bythe described mounting of end shaft 28 in its bearing 30 provision ismade for compensating for the change in over-all shaft length occurring.as' lower roll ll is varied in its iangularity with respect to the axisof upper roll it.

In order that the driving connection'between sh-aft l2 of upper roll 1'0and shaft 29 of lower 'roll' l'l may be maintained, irrespective of thevariation in distance between the axes of such shafts, there is provideda suitable gear train so constructed and mounted that irrespective ofvariation ot the distance between the axes of .said shafts there is atall ti-mes maintained a positive geared connection between the saidshafts.

The gear connection between shafts 12 and '29 is diagrammaticallyillustrated in Figure 2 wherein it will be seen that on upper :rollshaft 12 there is mounted a gear 35 and on lower roll shaft 29 there ismounted a gear 26. In addition to gear 35 mounted on upper roll shaft 12there is also mounted thereon a link--3 and also in addition to gear 36mounted on lower roll shaft 29 there is mounted thereon a link '38.Links 31 and 38 "at their outer ends are connected by means of stubshaft 3$ on "which "they pivot and on which is mounted an intermediategear wheel 40 which meshes with gear wheel'36. On link 37'intermediat-ing its'ends there is mounted a stub shaft 4 which carries agear 42 which gear meshes with upper drive 'roll gear 35 and withintermediate gear 40.

On consideration of the gearing structure just above described it willreadily be apparent that 'as upper roll shaft l2 may be adjustedvertically or as lower roll shaft 29 may be adjusted vertically, inconnection with the tilting of roll Ii, the angularity of links it] and.38 will :change accordinglmithe links tending to straighten out as theshafts are moved apart or tending :to "close upon one another as thedistance between the shafts is decreased; but that in either case due tothe construction, gear. 35 on :shaft 12 and gear 36 on shaft-29 aremaintained at all times in connected positive rotational relationthrough the intermediate gears 42 and 40.

In accordance with the above description it will be seen that a rollfeed mechanism as described will suitably accommodate and feed a memberwhich tapers across its width, in accordance with the form of the unit45 shown in Figure 1 as is directed to the fact that roller l0 may beeither a plain feed roll or it may carry thereon printing or embossingconfiguration such as are indicated at 46. It is of course to beunderstood tha t for embossing .or printing that the pattern illustratedat 46 is merely indicative and that any-suitable pattern may besubstituted therefor.

Further, in connection with the illustration of the drawing it will beseen that-the particular unit '45 illustrated. has at one end anoverhang 31 in connection with which there is provided on roll l1 asuitable formed collar 48 which serves to support the lower face on theoverhanging portion 41. 'Due to the fact that the axis of roll H isinclined from the horizontal, whereas the lower face of overhangingportion 41 is parallel to the axis of the upper roll, it will benecessary for each difierent inclination of roll H from the horizontalthat a different and suitable formed a collar 48 be provided. In orderthat such collar may be removably mounted on roll I l yet securelyretained thereon there is .provided internally of the collar 4'8 and inthe surface or roll 11 keyways in which may be mounted key or spline 49which in cooperation with such key-ways will properly position collar 48circumferentially with respect to roll 1! and there is further. provideda set screw 56 which secures collar 48 securely in position on roll 11.i h

It. will be readily seen that in accordancewith the above descriptionthere has been provideda roller feed mechanism which will suitably servefor feeding therethrough units having a face in.- clined with respect tothe other face thereof-and inwh-ich due to the provision made for thead- .justable inclination of one of the feed 'rollsthe such feed isadaptable .for feeding units which the .inclined face may be at varyingangularities and that further the feed is adaptable for feeding units ofdifferent thicknesses.

It .is further to be noted that although in the disclosure hereofprovision is made for the -;in-

.clination of the axis .of onlyone of the feed rolls that neverthelessit is well 'within the scope :of the ability ofthose skilled in the artappertain ing hereto to construct the feed vmecha nism with provisionfor variation 'ofthe angularity-of upper ,roll in accordance with thespecific showinghereof inconnection with the provision for'variat-ion ofthe angul-arity of-th e lower roll as described.

It will of course be readily understood that various detailsof theconstruction may readily be said disclosure.

The invention hereof having been disclosed in detail,

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for feeding tapered sheets, a roller feed mechanismcomprising end mounting frames, a pair of feed rollers, each feed rollermounted on a shaft with the shafts journaled in the end frames, one ofsuch shafts having an .end fixed against vertical movement but slidableaxially in its journal bearing, and having its other end verticallyadjustable in its supporting frame and provided with thrust take-ups toprevent axial movement of this end of the shaft.

2. In an apparatus for feeding tapered sheets, a roller feed mechanismcomprising a pair of feed rollers, a pair of end frames having bearings,shafts for the feed rollers journaled in the bearings in the end frames,the bearings for one of the shafts adjustable vertically and thebearings for the other shaft comprising one non-adjustable verticallyand the other adjustable vertically, and universal connections providedin the last mentioned shaft whereby one feed roller may be operativelyaccommodated and secured with its axis inclined with respect to the axisof the other feed roller.

3. A feed roller mechanism adapted for feeding therethrough sheet formmaterial tapering across the width thereof, the said mechanismcomprising a pair of feed rollers, shafts on which such feed rollers aremounted and end frames, the end frames carrying bearings therein, theshafts of the feed rollers mounted in said bearings; an end bearing forone of the shafts fixed with respect to an end frame, the bearing forthe other end of said shaft adjustable vertically with respect thereto,and universal connections provided intermediate the ends of the saidshaft whereby the feed roller mounted on the said shaft may be operablydriven with the axis of said feed roller inclined with respect to theaxis of the other feed roller.

4. A feed roller mechanism adapted for feeding therethrough sheet formmaterial of tapering cross section, the mechanism comprising a pair ofspaced end frames, a pair of feed roller shafts on which are mountedfeed rollers, bearings mounted in the end frames and in which the shaftsof the feed rollers are journaled, the end bearings for one of the saidshafts adjustable vertically, an end bearing for the other said shaftbeing fixed, the other bearing therefor adapted for vertical adjustmentthereof, the last said bearing having associated therewith end thrustreceiving portions to prevent axial movement of the shaft journaledtherein, the said shaft having intermediate its ends and adjacent theends of the feed roller universal joints whereby the axis of said feedroller may be inclined with respect to the horizontal, and means mountedon each of said shafts for imparting rotation thereto with meansconnecting the said shaft in continuous uniform rotational drivingconnection.

5. In apparatus for feeding sheets having either a uniform or taperedcross-section, the combination of an adjustable roller feed mechanismcomprising a pair of spaced end frames, feed rollers inclined withrespect to each other and adapted for adjustment to the thickness of asheet of uniform or tapered cross-section being fed therethrough, a pairof feed roller shafts on which are mounted the feed rollers, bearingsmounted in the end frames for journaling the feed roller shafts,the endbearings for one of the said shafts adjustable vertically, an endbearing for the other said shaft being fixed, the other bearing thereforadapted for vertical adjustment thereof, the last said bearing havingassociated therewith end thrust receiving portions to prevent axialmovement of the shaft journaled therein, universal connections providedintermediate the ends of said shaft whereby the feed roller mounted onthe said shaft may be operably driven with the axis of said feed rollerinclined with respect to the axis of the other feed roller, anadjustable compensating gear driving mechanism operatively connectingthe shafts and providing for uniform rotation of the one feed roller tothe other feed roller, said gear driving mechanism comprising spur gearsand intermediate gears, a plurality of link supporting means adapted formounting the intermediate gears, and means for adjusting the roller feedmechanism for taper and thickness of the material, said adjusting meansincluding the aforesaid end thrust receiving portions and additionalthrust means for the other feed roller shaft to maintain the spur gearsand intermediate gears in mesh for all adjustments of the roller feedmechanism.

6. In apparatus for feeding tapered sheets comprising a pair of feedrollers, shafts on which the feed rollers are mounted and end frames,bearings for the feed roller shafts mounted in the end frames forjournaling the shafts, the axis of a feed roller being adapted to beinclined with respect to the axis of the other feed roller, the bearingsat the ends of the inclined roller comprising one non-adjustablevertically and the other adjustable vertically with respect to the endframe, universal connections provided intermediate the ends of the shaftwhose axis is adapted to be inclined whereby the feed roller mounted onsaid shaft may be operably driven with the axis of said feed rollerinclined with respect to the axis of the other feed roller; thecombination of a driving mechanism connecting the rollsheet, and theaforesaid vertically adjustable bearing including thrust means toprevent axial movement of the roller shaft therein as well as tomaintain enmeshmcnt of the gear train linkage.

ARTHUR LAN DIS.

